


refractions

by Acadjonne



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Bonding, Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and sora is proud of his other for building a family, in which roxas and sora bond, in which roxas gets a nice gift from his friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29863926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acadjonne/pseuds/Acadjonne
Summary: Roxas wakes slowly, the edges of sleep pulling back gently as he opens his eyes. Through the night, it seems that Sora has found his way closer to Roxas, tangling his fingers into the golden chain of Roxas’ necklace. The heart-shaped locket rests calmly against the back of Sora’s hand, blending beautiful against the tone of his skin.
Relationships: Roxas & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	refractions

**Author's Note:**

> _refraction: the fact or phenomenon of light, radio waves, etc. being deflected in passing obliquely through the interface between one medium and another or through a medium of varying density. from mid 17th century: from late latin refractio(n- ), from refringere ‘break up’._

Roxas wakes slowly, the edges of sleep pulling back gently as he opens his eyes. The room around him is dark, though he can see a slight outline of sunlight coming through the cracks of Sora’s blackout curtains. It’s bright and sharp, the way early morning sunlight usually is, but Roxas isn’t familiar enough with function day-night cycles to hazard a guess as to the actual time of morning.

The first thing he registers is  _ warmth _ , surrounding him in a way that feels safe and familiar. There are fingers near his collarbone, blunt nails pressing against his clavicle. Through the night, it seems that Sora has found his way closer to Roxas, tangling his fingers into the golden chain of Roxas’ necklace. The heart-shaped locket rests calmly against the back of Sora’s hand, blending beautiful against the tone of his skin.

It’s a stark contrast to the way the gold sticks out against Roxas’ pale complexion, visible for all to see. Roxas has half a mind to believe that’s the reason why Olette chose this particular necklace for him in the first place, except he knows the real reason is the trifold nature of the heart locket. Within it lie three photos, showing Roxas’ dearest friends. The first photo is the group photo from the digital Twilight Town, of himself with Hayner and Olette and Pence at the Old Mansion. The second photo shows Axel, Xion, Naminé, and Isa in front of their home on Sunset Hill. The final photo, added only a few days prior, is of Sora himself, smiling in the courtyard of Radiant Garden.

Roxas’ heart locket is not only a sharp contrast against his own pale skin, but also a skewed reflection of Sora’s silver crown necklace. For the first few days he was in Radiant Garden reconnecting with Sora, Roxas had hidden the necklace, worried about what Sora might think.

It was no secret among their friends that Sora’s necklace was his most identifiable feature, like the mark of his very heart, always resolutely visible upon his person at all times. Since he was as young as five years old, Sora had worn the necklace without fail. The very reason Roxas had been gifted a necklace of his own by his friends was that his connection to Sora meant picking up his habits, among them the urge to fiddle with a chain which Roxas didn’t actually have around his neck.

In Twilight Town, Roxas had been equally known for the pride he took in his new accessory. Replacing the comically large zipper pull he’d once had on his jacket, Roxas had taken great care to make sure the locket was fully visible at all times. Sentimental to a fault, Roxas had been beyond pleased to have a physical tether to his friends, something tangible which could been seen and touched and held. As everyone had done their part to look for Sora, Roxas had also spent a fair portion of his time anticipating being able to show his Other the bonds he’d made and maintained since getting a second chance at life.

Once the news had come from Radiant Garden that Riku was bringing Sora home, though, worry and doubt had slammed into Roxas at full force. Before he’d even entered the Radiant Garden castle, he’d carefully tucked the pendant inside his shirt, and through his time at Sora’s bedside he’d been sure that not even so much as a single link of the chain slipped into view.

What if Sora didn’t like Roxas wearing a necklace like he did? What if Roxas was accused of trying to take Sora’s place, of trying to become him? He’d had no real reason to fear those things, Sora was the best person Roxas had ever had the privilege of knowing, but still the worries had stuck.

In the end, he’d managed to keep it a secret until he and Sora had arrived on the Destiny Islands last night. Through all the stress to get them to this point, Roxas had kept his fingers from fidgeting with the chain; Ansem the Wise’s prodding, the declaration that Sora and Riku were both well enough to return home, the gummiship ride back to the Islands, and the awkward attempts to explain Roxas’ existence to Sora’s mother without breaking World Order or distressing her too much.

Even once Roxas’ inhibitions had begun to fall away, dampened by tiredness as the night hour passed, he’d kept his secret. The Destiny Islands was a bit similar to Twilight Town in that the residents kept a segmented sleep schedule; they’d sleep for some period, awaken in the middle to get a few minor chores or leisure activities done, and then catch the second half of their rest afterward. However, the Destiny Islands were unlike Twilight Town in that they kept themselves busy until well past the early morning hours, slept until just past sunrise, and would take their second sleep during the early afternoon when the sun shone down upon them the hottest. Twilight Town, meanwhile, kept a much more standard operating schedule, similar to most worlds with functioning day-night cycles instead.

Roxas had been loath to ask Sora to stop talking so he could sleep, but Sora had been growing tired himself and eventually declared the end of their night around 3am. Roxas’ downfall had come then, in the form of a borrowed sleeping shirt. It had an open neck, similar to the style of shirt Roxas was inexplicably beyond  _ sure _ that Sora must’ve worn as a child, and it unfortunately left very little room to hide the locket which hung around his neck.

Sora had frozen when he’d seen it, eyes going wide. Roxas himself had frozen at the sheer lack of  _ anything _ expressed on his Other’s face. But then Sora had breathed a quiet, “ _ Roxas _ ,” reverent and awed, and stepped forward with a hand already held up to touch.

Gently, delicately, Roxas had unclasped the necklace and then held it carefully over the back of his hand, letting just enough slack into the chain for Sora to take the locket into his hand. He’d choked up once he’d opened the first compartment of the locket and his own smiling face had greeting him. Once he’d seen the other two photos inside, Sora’s tears had slowly begun to fall.

“Roxas,” he’d said again, looking up to meet his eyes. Roxas had looked down nearly as quickly, tangling his fingers loosely into the slack of the necklace chain between them.

“Hayner, Pence, and Olette gave it to me,” Roxas admitted quietly, a clear fondness coating his tone of voice. “So that I could always remember who was in my heart.”

Eventually, they’d settled side by side in Sora’s bed, clasping hands like little children. Sora lay on his side facing Roxas, and upon receiving a nod, brought his free hand up to trace the lines engraved onto the front of the heart locket. A gentle smile had tugged at his lips, genuine and loving.

“I’m glad, Roxas,” Sora had said. There was a yawn hiding somewhere in his voice, but he was clearly doing his best not to let it out. “You’ve got so many people looking out for you. So many friends.”

Roxas smiled, flat on his back and braced to one side against his Somebody, his Other, the Heart which had held him safe. “They’re my family.  _ You’re _ my family,” Roxas had admitted, and Sora had squeezed his hand tighter. They fell asleep there, pressed close together, content and safe and together.

In the early morning sunlight, Roxas looks down at the hand still wrapped in the chain of his necklace. After a moment, he sees Sora’s eyes open, blue as the sky he was named for. He takes great care in gently untangling his fingers from Roxas’ necklace.

“Good morning, Roxas,” Sora says, a hint of tiredness still present. He doesn’t make any move to let Roxas go.

“Good morning, Sora,” Roxas answers, and he doesn’t make any move to get up.

**Author's Note:**

> i just wanted sora and roxas to bond. they deserve nice things.
> 
> i have a [kingdom hearts twitter](https://twitter.com/acadiawasmine) if anyone wants to come yell at me about roxas, or kh in general.


End file.
